Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, holds an interview in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. | Cheryl Diaz Meyer
It is estimated that 62 bridges and more than 2,064 miles of highway in Utah are in poor condition
Looking around our communities, it’s not uncommon to see roads, bridges and other infrastructure in need of serious repair. And as one of the country’s fastest growing states, Utah is also in need of additional infrastructure. For years — decades, even — elected officials have asserted that we needed to turn our attention toward our nation’s aging infrastructure. Yet various challenges and disagreements have resulted in little progress.
When he first took office, President Joe Biden proposed an infrastructure plan that would cost nearly $2 trillion — an unprecedented request both in terms of the amount of spending and the types of projects he wanted to fund. Republicans unanimously refused to sign up for the multitrillion-dollar spending, tax hikes, huge deficits and expanded social programs.
For several months now, I have been working with a group of colleagues to see if we could reach agreement on a bipartisan path forward. It was pretty clear that if the Democrats wrote their own partisan bill, Utah would end up with the short end of the stick.
As a result of our group’s work, Senate Republicans and Democrats have agreed on a proposal that is strictly limited to physical infrastructure. It does not raise taxes. It spends less than one-third of the president’s original plan. And because it is largely comprised of legislation that has already gone through the traditional legislative process with bipartisan support in the committees of jurisdiction, it is truly bipartisan.
The White House has endorsed our bipartisan plan.
It is estimated that 62 bridges and more than 2,064 miles of highway in Utah are in poor condition. Under our plan, Utah would receive substantial funding to repair these deteriorating roads, bridges and highways. Right now, Utahns are forced to use only surface streets to make the commute from Salt Lake City to the west side of the valley because there isn’t highway infrastructure in place. In addition to funding for necessary repairs, Utah would also receive funding to expand our infrastructure so we can keep up with our rapid growth.
The bipartisan plan would also make investment in Utah’s public transportation systems, helping to clear up some of the traffic on our roads. This is particularly important along the Wasatch Front where air quality is a critical concern. It would also help modernize the nearly 17% of public transit vehicles in our state that are on their last legs. As of now, my Smart Intersections Act — legislation to reduce traffic congestion by modernizing traffic signals — will also be included in this bipartisan package.
Our plan does not ignore the threats posed to infrastructure due to climate change. We in Utah are seeing firsthand the effects which the historic drought, combined with poor federal forest management, is …read more
Source:: Deseret News – Utah News
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